If you want to impress others with your house plant collection, adding rare house plants is the way to go. Not all of them are pricey, but all of them are hard to find. Your local nurseries are most likely not to have them. I have gotten a few rare house plants from people on the Facebook marketplace, and online websites that specialize in rare house plants.
What makes a House Plant Rare?
Firstly, rare indoor plants are hard to identify. This is because not many people have seen them before. Your indoor plant identifying app probably can’t identify them either because there are so few available. Secondly, a plant becomes rare when they aren’t available and are very hard to come by. Most people will probably never see one of these plants in real life in their lifetime, which is crazy if you think about it.
Where to find Rare House Plants
Facebook Marketplace, I would start by checking here if you are looking for a rare house plant for your collection. Have in mind what you are looking for at get searching. Beware of scams and make sure you are dealing with a legit seller and not someone who is looking to scam you for money
Etsy, Etsy is a great place for rare houseplants. I find that the rare houseplants on Etsy can be somewhat overpriced but decent for the most part. There is a scam on Etsy though, that a lot of people aren’t aware of. That is selling rare house plant seeds. I fell victim to one of these scams after I bought variegated monstera seeds but all that grew was a monstera – nonvariegated. So I recommend not buying rare house plant seeds from Etsy for this reason. Seeds are very hard to authenticate.
Specialized House plant website, There are a lot of websites out there selling house plants. Most of these websites are run by people who don’t have a physical shop. The prices are usually decent and the websites are almost always legit
Craigslist, This one is a yes and no. I have been on craigslist and seen rare houseplants for sale for suspiciously cheap. While it could be legit, I am always nervous to use craigslist.
Rare House Plants as an Investment?
Yes, you can buy a rare house plant as an investment. That is only if you are a house plant expert. These plants can be propagated and sold and because they are so sought after they sell so fast and for a good price too. So if you are great with house plants and have enough time and energy to put into them, then go for it, and try it out.
9 Rare House Plants
1: Pilea Sugar Pilea Peperomiodes
This is known as “sugar”. Sugar is a variegated version of the Chinese Money plant. The leaves are not perfectly straight, they are jagged. There are also little white specks on the leaves giving it its name Sugar. These little white specks resemble sugar crystals.
Care
This is actually a pretty low-maintenance rare house plant. This plant loves bright indirect sunlight. Direct sunlight can scorch the leaves. Water when the Top inch of soil feels dry. Make sure the soil is well draining. Lastly, Cut any yellowing leaves and fertilize once a month.
Price
Depending on Size and country
$30- $60
2: Treubii Dark Form Pothos
This can be identified by its very dark green to black velvety leaves. This plant is an absolute show-stopper, adding elegance and class to your home. It is definitely one that I am seriously considering adding to my collection
Care
Be careful when watering this one, They don’t like overwatering, and will die easily when waterlogged. Make sure the soil is evenly moist and only water once the top inch of the soil feels dry. Don’t water often in the winter months. This plant can tolerate low light but thrives best in bright indirect light. Well, draining soil is a must with this beauty, try to use peat moss. To encourage growth try to add fertilizer every 2-3 weeks in the summer and less in the winter.
Price
Depending on size, and country
$30- $60
3: Syngonium Albo Verigata
The Syngonium Albo Verigata is a beautiful tropical plant, categorized by its lovely white and green leaves. This plant is surprisingly quite low maintenance, so a good choice for a beginner rare house plant collector.
Care
This plant can thrive in any light conditions apart from direct light. If you want a low-light plant then this is good too. It is better to underwater this plant than over water and root rot is a killer for this one. So if you are neglecting plants then this one is good for you. I would recommend adding plant sand to help with drainage to avoid root rot.
Price
depending on size and country
$30-$60
4: Rhaphidophora Tenuis
This plant is commonly known as the mini monstera. It is native to Southeast Asia and its leaves resemble a monstera but way smaller.
Care
This plant loves a mist, so have a mister on hand. This plant can survive in low light and bright indirect light. Root Rot is common with this one so don’t over water. This is a climbing plant so it will need a structure to climb up. It can be hung from a hanging basket too.
Price
Depending on size, and country
$80 – $400
5: Monstera Albo Variegated
I am pretty sure this rare house plant went viral on TikTok and Instagram not that long ago. This plant is seriously sought after and because of that, this drove the prices up like crazy! But I can’t blame people, this really is a gorgeous plant
Care
Keep the soil moist, and keep this plant in a pot that is a little bit too small to encourage new leaf growth. This plant can do well in low light but will do much better in bright indirect light. For the soil use peat moss to help with drainage. Keep the soil moist at all times but don’t overwater
Price
depending on size and country
$100- $2000
6: Syngonium Godzilla
This plant looks like it’s dying but it’s not, so don’t be fooled by it. It has curled-up leaves that point toward the sky. I wouldn’t say this plant is good looking but it’s definitely interesting. So if you are looking for a conversation starter then this is it.
Care
Although its leaves are curled up it loves bright indirect light. Water when the soil is dry. Don’t let this sit in water as root rot is common. I recommend top watering.
Price
Depending on size and country
$30- $60
7: Verigated Alocasia frydek
This is the Albo elephant’s Ear. One of my all-time favorites. This plant is stunning. It has silver-green leaves with white variegation. This is also highly sought after it went viral on Instagram
Care
Water this when the top inch of soil is dry, don’t overwater it so make sure the soil is well draining. you can use peat moss to help with drainage and add nutrients. This plant loves bright indirect light but can tolerate low light, it just won’t grow as fast.
Price
depending on size and country
$250- $2000
8:Monstera Burle Marx Flame
Another variegated monstera is named because its leaves look like flames. This is a unique plant and one of the most expensive types of variegated monsteras.
Care
This plant loves bright indirect light but can do low light too, it will just grow slower. For watering, neglect it. WQait until the soil completely dries out. Root rot is super common so underwatering is the key, and water even less in winter
Price
Depending on size and country
$1500 – $5000
9: Verigated Hoya Compacto
This plant is more commonly known as a Hindu rope. I actually have one in my collection as it’s my favorite, so once I found out it has a variegated version so I was overjoyed. The variegated version isn’t too expensive either.
Care
This plant can tolerate some direct sunlight but only for a minimal amount of time, so bright and indirect sunlight is the way to go. The Hindu rope loves a good mist, so have your mister on hand. Water this plant deeply but not frequently, a little neglect is okay. This plant can also produce flowers with proper care which is so rewarding
Price
Depending on size and country
$80 – $200
And that is 9 Rare house plants you need to add to your collection
So have you chosen a rare house plant to save up for from this list? I know I have. With proper care house plants can be so rewarding. It is a great hobby to have
If you enjoyed this blog post, why not check out some of my others:
- Cat and Dog Friendly Indoor Plants ( TOP 10)
- 11 VEGETABLE GARDENING TIPS FOR BEGINNERS
- 11 Best Low Maintenance and Low Light Indoor Plants
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